We are excited to share the following message from our new Designated Pastor! He will start November with November 8, 2026 being his first Sunday. He has agreed to a two year contract which gives us the time we need to form a search committee and have a clear vision of where we want Creede Community Church to be in the next five, fifteen, fifty years.  Here is the message he sent to share: 

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Dear Members and Friends of Creede Community Church: 

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I pray this note finds you and those you love doing well. If you find yourself in a season of happiness, I am rejoicing with you. If you are walking through a season of struggle, please know that you and those you love are already in my prayers, held close in God’s peace and comfort.

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It is a joy to introduce myself as your incoming transitional minister. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to join you and tremendously excited to return to my home state of Colorado—out of Kansas City Chiefs territory and back in a region where no one gives you a puzzled look for ordering green chili in a restaurant.

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I was born and raised in Colorado Springs and spent the summers of my childhood on baseball fields and walking the fairways of Patty Jewett Golf Course.

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I graduated from Colorado College in 2002 and completed my theological education at the University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology in 2008. After being ordained in 2009, I moved to Wyoming, where I spent twelve years serving two very different congregations while earning a master’s degree in mental health counseling from the University of Wyoming. I also worked part-time in private practice in Laramie and with the Albany County treatment courts, accompanying people living with trauma and addiction. 

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For the past five years, I have lived in South Dakota, working in the mental health division of a large healthcare system and serving as a local church pastor in Rapid City.

Through these years, I have come to love life in rural communities and small towns, where people have a genuine opportunity to know and care for one another and to foster the life of the Spirit in the ordinary rhythms of life together.

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Joining me in Creede will be my beloved Australian Shepherd, Payton. She is smart, adorable, and has me very well trained to attend to her every want.

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I love the church, and I share Creede Community Church’s passion for being an inclusive community where all people are welcomed and valued. 

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I do not arrive with a ready-made plan for what this season should become. I come eager to listen, to learn from you, and to discover together where the Spirit may be leading. It will be a privilege to join you as a pastor, partner, and collaborator in your continuing work of serving Creede and its people with love, care, and enthusiasm.

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I look forward to meeting you and beginning our time together.

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Warmly,

Joe

We are so grateful to Sarah Verasco for stepping in for the months of July and August. She was a joy to have in our church! We are also grateful to Steve Robertson for filling the pulpit. Our amazing Deacons, under the guidance of Millynn Teal, are working to get pulpit supply for September and October while we get ready for Joe to start. 

Thanks for your prayers and patience as we start this next chapter!

Blessings,
Susan Birdsey
Moderator